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Hunter River (New South Wales)

April 22, 2023

The Hunter River (Wonnarua: Coquun[5]) is a major river in New South Wales, Australia. The Hunter River rises in the Liverpool Range and flows generally south and then east, reaching the Tasman Sea at Newcastle, the second largest city in New South Wales and a major harbour port. Its lower reaches form an open and trained mature wave dominated barrier estuary.[6]

Hunter River
Coquon P.T.O., First Hunter Creek, Coal River[1]
Ship entering the mouth of the Hunter River at Newcastle
EtymologyIn honour of John Hunter[1]
Native nameCoquun (Awabakal)
Location
CountryAustralia
StateNew South Wales
RegionNSW North Coast (IBRA), Sydney Basin (IBRA), Hunter
Local government areasUpper Hunter, Muswellbrook, Singleton, Maitland, Dungog, Port Stephens, Newcastle
Major settlements and townsAberdeen, Muswellbrook, Denman, Jerrys Plains, Singleton, Maitland, Morpeth, Raymond Terrace, Newcastle
Physical characteristics
SourceMount Royal Range, Liverpool Range
 • locationwithin Barrington Tops National Park, Upper Hunter
 • coordinates31°53′36.5″S 151°27′04.4″E / 31.893472°S 151.451222°E / -31.893472; 151.451222
 • elevation1,420 m (4,660 ft)
MouthTasman Sea
 • location
between Nobbys Head and Stockton
 • coordinates
32°55′S 151°47′E / 32.92°S 151.79°E / -32.92; 151.79Coordinates: 32°55′S 151°47′E / 32.92°S 151.79°E / -32.92; 151.79
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length300 km (190 mi)[2]
Basin size21,367 km2 (8,250 sq mi)[2]
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftMoonan Brook, Stewarts Brook, Paterson River, Williams River
 • rightPages Creek, Pages River, Goulburn River, Wollombi Brook
BridgesEllerston, Aberdeen, Muswellbrook, Denman, Golden Highway, Singleton (x3), Elderslie, Melville Ford, Bolwarra Heights (rail), Maitland, Lorn, Morpeth, Millers Forest/Nelsons Plains, Hexham, Ash Island, Kooragang (rail), Tourle Street, Stockton
National parkBarrington Tops
[3][4]

Course and features

The Hunter River rises on the western slopes of Mount Royal Range, part of the Liverpool Range, within Barrington Tops National Park, east of Murrurundi, and flows generally northwest and then southwest before being impounded by Lake Glenbawn; then flowing southwest and then east southeast before reaching its mouth of the Tasman Sea,[1] in Newcastle between Nobbys Head and Stockton. The river is joined by ten tributaries upstream of Lake Glenbawn; and a further thirty-one tributaries downstream of the reservoir. The main tributaries are the Pages, Goulburn, Williams and the Paterson rivers and the Moonan, Stewarts and Wollombi brooks. East of Hexham, the river splits into two main channels, separated by the Ramsar-protected Kooragang Wetlands that feeds Milham Ponds, Wader Pond, Swan Pond and a series of smaller wetland pondages. The southern arm of the river also creates Hexham Island, while the northern creates Smiths Island and flows in Fullerton Cove. The two channels converge at Walsh Point, reaching confluence with Throsby Creek adjacent to the Newcastle central business district, before reaching the river mouth. The Hunter River descends 1,397 m (4,583 ft) over its 468 km (291 mi) course from the high upper reaches, through the Hunter Valley, and out to sea.[3]

The Hunter River is subject to substantial flooding, which Glenbawn Dam, near Scone, was constructed to ameliorate. Major floods have occurred on the Hunter including the flood of 1955 that caused devastation to townships along the river, especially Maitland. Severe flooding again occurred in June 2007 and again in 2015.

Towns along the Hunter River, from upstream to downstream, include Aberdeen, Muswellbrook, Denman, Jerrys Plains, Singleton, Maitland, Morpeth, and Raymond Terrace.

At Hexham, the river is transversed by the Pacific Highway; while at Singleton and again at Aberdeen, the river is crossed by the New England Highway; and the Golden Highway crosses the river to the north and to the southeast of Denman.

Hunter Valley

The Hunter Valley is one of the best routes to the interior of the state with access relatively unimpeded by mountains and other obstacles. It is the largest area of relatively low-lying land near the coast of New South Wales, and owing to the shielding by rugged ranges to its north, is much drier than any other coastal region of the state. Annual rainfall ranges from 1,100 mm (43 in) at Newcastle to only 640 mm (25 in) at Merriwa and Scone in the upper reaches. In the driest years rainfall can be as low as 600 mm (24 in) at Newcastle and 375 mm (15 in) in the upper valley.[citation needed]

Around the Barrington Tops on the northern side of the valley, however, annual precipitation can be as high as 2,000 mm (79 in), not all of which falls as rain since July temperatures are often below 0 °C (32 °F). In the lower areas, summer maxima are usually around 27 °C (81 °F) and winter maxima around 16 °C (61 °F).

Except for the driest parts of Tasmania and a small area of the Monaro between Cooma and Nimmitabel, the Hunter Valley is the southern limit of rich "black earths" (actually black cracking clays). These are the only soils in all of Australia with reasonable levels of soluble phosphorus,[citation needed] with the result that upstream from Singleton very rich pasture land with many thoroughbred horse studs occurs. Around Merriwa and south of Singleton, the soils are very infertile sands more typical of Australia as a whole, and the dominant land use is extensive grazing.[citation needed]

Parts of the Hunter Valley are important for grape growing and wine producing.[7] The Hunter Valley is also one of Australia's most important coal mining areas.[8] The Hunter River is threatened by drought, climate change[citation needed] and proposed loss of water due to coal mining.[citation needed] The region is also favoured by thoroughbred horse breeders and stud farms.

History

The Hunter River has been inhabited for thousands of years by the Wonnarua Aboriginal people, who called it the Coquun (/koʊˈkwɪn/), meaning "fresh water". The Lower Hunter River nearer to the coast is the traditional country of the Awabakal people. Both groups spoke a similar language.

The river was first settled by European explorers in the 1790s. In June 1796 fishermen sheltering from bad weather discovered coal there, and the river was initially called Coal River. In 1797 it was formally named the Hunter, after Captain John Hunter who was Governor of the British colony in New South Wales at that time.[1][9]

Between 1826 and 1836, convicts built the 264 km (164 mi) long Great North Road that links Sydney to the Hunter Region.[10]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Hunter River". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 22 March 2013.  
  2. ^ a b "Estuaries of NSW: Hunter River". NSW Environment & Heritage. Government of New South Wales. 26 April 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Map of Hunter River (1), NSW". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  4. ^ "Map of Hunter River (2), NSW". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  5. ^ (PDF). Geographical Names Board NSW Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  6. ^ Roy, P. S; Williams, R. J; Jones, A. R; Yassini, I; et al. (2001). "Structure and Function of South-east Australian Estuaries". Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 53: 351–384. doi:10.1006/ecss.2001.0796.
  7. ^ "Hunter Valley". Wine Australia. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  8. ^ Murray, James (12 February 2020). "What are the five biggest coal mines in fossil fuel-reliant Australia?". NS ENERGY. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  9. ^ Clark, Manning (1981). "Chapter 8". A History of Australia. Vol. 1 (reprint ed.). ISBN 0-522-84008-6.
  10. ^ . Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2020.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hunter River (New South Wales).
  • "Hunter River catchment" (map). Office of Environment and Heritage. Government of New South Wales.
  • "Hunter–Central Rivers Catchment". Hunter–Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority. Government of New South Wales. 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  • . Hunter–Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2013.

April 22, 2023
hunter, river, south, wales, hunter, river, wonnarua, coquun, major, river, south, wales, australia, hunter, river, rises, liverpool, range, flows, generally, south, then, east, reaching, tasman, newcastle, second, largest, city, south, wales, major, harbour, . The Hunter River Wonnarua Coquun 5 is a major river in New South Wales Australia The Hunter River rises in the Liverpool Range and flows generally south and then east reaching the Tasman Sea at Newcastle the second largest city in New South Wales and a major harbour port Its lower reaches form an open and trained mature wave dominated barrier estuary 6 Hunter RiverCoquon P T O First Hunter Creek Coal River 1 Ship entering the mouth of the Hunter River at NewcastleEtymologyIn honour of John Hunter 1 Native nameCoquun Awabakal LocationCountryAustraliaStateNew South WalesRegionNSW North Coast IBRA Sydney Basin IBRA HunterLocal government areasUpper Hunter Muswellbrook Singleton Maitland Dungog Port Stephens NewcastleMajor settlements and townsAberdeen Muswellbrook Denman Jerrys Plains Singleton Maitland Morpeth Raymond Terrace NewcastlePhysical characteristicsSourceMount Royal Range Liverpool Range locationwithin Barrington Tops National Park Upper Hunter coordinates31 53 36 5 S 151 27 04 4 E 31 893472 S 151 451222 E 31 893472 151 451222 elevation1 420 m 4 660 ft MouthTasman Sea locationbetween Nobbys Head and Stockton coordinates32 55 S 151 47 E 32 92 S 151 79 E 32 92 151 79 Coordinates 32 55 S 151 47 E 32 92 S 151 79 E 32 92 151 79 elevation0 m 0 ft Length300 km 190 mi 2 Basin size21 367 km2 8 250 sq mi 2 Basin featuresTributaries leftMoonan Brook Stewarts Brook Paterson River Williams River rightPages Creek Pages River Goulburn River Wollombi BrookBridgesEllerston Aberdeen Muswellbrook Denman Golden Highway Singleton x3 Elderslie Melville Ford Bolwarra Heights rail Maitland Lorn Morpeth Millers Forest Nelsons Plains Hexham Ash Island Kooragang rail Tourle Street StocktonNational parkBarrington Tops 3 4 Contents 1 Course and features 1 1 Hunter Valley 2 History 3 Gallery 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksCourse and features EditThe Hunter River rises on the western slopes of Mount Royal Range part of the Liverpool Range within Barrington Tops National Park east of Murrurundi and flows generally northwest and then southwest before being impounded by Lake Glenbawn then flowing southwest and then east southeast before reaching its mouth of the Tasman Sea 1 in Newcastle between Nobbys Head and Stockton The river is joined by ten tributaries upstream of Lake Glenbawn and a further thirty one tributaries downstream of the reservoir The main tributaries are the Pages Goulburn Williams and the Paterson rivers and the Moonan Stewarts and Wollombi brooks East of Hexham the river splits into two main channels separated by the Ramsar protected Kooragang Wetlands that feeds Milham Ponds Wader Pond Swan Pond and a series of smaller wetland pondages The southern arm of the river also creates Hexham Island while the northern creates Smiths Island and flows in Fullerton Cove The two channels converge at Walsh Point reaching confluence with Throsby Creek adjacent to the Newcastle central business district before reaching the river mouth The Hunter River descends 1 397 m 4 583 ft over its 468 km 291 mi course from the high upper reaches through the Hunter Valley and out to sea 3 The Hunter River is subject to substantial flooding which Glenbawn Dam near Scone was constructed to ameliorate Major floods have occurred on the Hunter including the flood of 1955 that caused devastation to townships along the river especially Maitland Severe flooding again occurred in June 2007 and again in 2015 Towns along the Hunter River from upstream to downstream include Aberdeen Muswellbrook Denman Jerrys Plains Singleton Maitland Morpeth and Raymond Terrace At Hexham the river is transversed by the Pacific Highway while at Singleton and again at Aberdeen the river is crossed by the New England Highway and the Golden Highway crosses the river to the north and to the southeast of Denman Hunter Valley Edit The Hunter Valley is one of the best routes to the interior of the state with access relatively unimpeded by mountains and other obstacles It is the largest area of relatively low lying land near the coast of New South Wales and owing to the shielding by rugged ranges to its north is much drier than any other coastal region of the state Annual rainfall ranges from 1 100 mm 43 in at Newcastle to only 640 mm 25 in at Merriwa and Scone in the upper reaches In the driest years rainfall can be as low as 600 mm 24 in at Newcastle and 375 mm 15 in in the upper valley citation needed Around the Barrington Tops on the northern side of the valley however annual precipitation can be as high as 2 000 mm 79 in not all of which falls as rain since July temperatures are often below 0 C 32 F In the lower areas summer maxima are usually around 27 C 81 F and winter maxima around 16 C 61 F Except for the driest parts of Tasmania and a small area of the Monaro between Cooma and Nimmitabel the Hunter Valley is the southern limit of rich black earths actually black cracking clays These are the only soils in all of Australia with reasonable levels of soluble phosphorus citation needed with the result that upstream from Singleton very rich pasture land with many thoroughbred horse studs occurs Around Merriwa and south of Singleton the soils are very infertile sands more typical of Australia as a whole and the dominant land use is extensive grazing citation needed Parts of the Hunter Valley are important for grape growing and wine producing 7 The Hunter Valley is also one of Australia s most important coal mining areas 8 The Hunter River is threatened by drought climate change citation needed and proposed loss of water due to coal mining citation needed The region is also favoured by thoroughbred horse breeders and stud farms History EditThe Hunter River has been inhabited for thousands of years by the Wonnarua Aboriginal people who called it the Coquun k oʊ ˈ k w ɪ n meaning fresh water The Lower Hunter River nearer to the coast is the traditional country of the Awabakal people Both groups spoke a similar language The river was first settled by European explorers in the 1790s In June 1796 fishermen sheltering from bad weather discovered coal there and the river was initially called Coal River In 1797 it was formally named the Hunter after Captain John Hunter who was Governor of the British colony in New South Wales at that time 1 9 Between 1826 and 1836 convicts built the 264 km 164 mi long Great North Road that links Sydney to the Hunter Region 10 Gallery Edit Confluence of the Hunter and Williams rivers at Raymond Terrace Bridges across Hunter River between Tomago and Hexham Flooding of the Hunter and Williams Rivers in Nelsons Plains during 2007 River mouth viewed from Stockton looking towards Newcastle central business district 2007 See also Edit Australia portal New South Wales portal Environment portalDundee a shipwreck off the mouth of the Hunter River 1808 Environment of Australia Floods in Australia Hunter Valley cannabis infestation List of rivers in New South Wales A K List of rivers of Australia Newcastle Port Corporation Rivers of New South WalesReferences Edit a b c d Hunter River Geographical Names Register GNR of NSW Geographical Names Board of New South Wales Retrieved 22 March 2013 a b Estuaries of NSW Hunter River NSW Environment amp Heritage Government of New South Wales 26 April 2012 Retrieved 22 March 2013 a b Map of Hunter River 1 NSW Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia Retrieved 22 March 2013 Map of Hunter River 2 NSW Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia Retrieved 22 March 2013 Media Release Indigenous Naming Comes To Newcastle PDF Geographical Names Board NSW Government Archived from the original PDF on 4 March 2022 Retrieved 23 July 2022 Roy P S Williams R J Jones A R Yassini I et al 2001 Structure and Function of South east Australian Estuaries Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 53 351 384 doi 10 1006 ecss 2001 0796 Hunter Valley Wine Australia Retrieved 9 September 2020 Murray James 12 February 2020 What are the five biggest coal mines in fossil fuel reliant Australia NS ENERGY Retrieved 2020 09 09 Clark Manning 1981 Chapter 8 A History of Australia Vol 1 reprint ed ISBN 0 522 84008 6 The Convict Trail Project Archived from the original on 17 October 2013 Retrieved 18 January 2020 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hunter River New South Wales Hunter River catchment map Office of Environment and Heritage Government of New South Wales Hunter Central Rivers Catchment Hunter Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority Government of New South Wales 2012 Retrieved 22 March 2013 Hunter River Explorer Hunter Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority Archived from the original on 19 October 2013 Retrieved 18 October 2013 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hunter River New South Wales amp oldid 1150840818, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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